1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to holders for compact discs, and more particularly, to compact disc holders that include printed information that accompanies the discs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Compact discs have become a convenient, durable, and efficient means for digitally storing recorded music and computer software and data. Compact discs are round discs that are about 4xc2xe inches in diameter and slightly over 1 millimeter thick. Therefore, these discs are generally stored and transported in containers that are relatively flat.
Audio compact discs and compact discs containing computer software or data are typically stored in flat square plastic cases known as xe2x80x9cjewel boxesxe2x80x9d. These cases include a square hard plastic base with a receptacle for holding a compact disc, and a hinged hard plastic cover that is attached to the base. While these cases have proven to be effective for storing compact discs, the plastic cases can be fragile and the simple hinge connections are prone to breakage. These cases are particularly subject to breakage when transported by mail. These cases also are relatively expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the inclusion of printed material on or with such cases is problematic. It is often desirable to include printed information such as song lyrics or information about the recording artist with audio compact discs. For computer software compact discs, it is often desirable to include printed information with the compact discs such as instructions for using the software. While jewel boxes can be sized to include printed inserts inside the cases with the compact discs, such inserts are easily separated from the case and can easily be lost or misplaced. Therefore, there is a need for an inexpensive holder for compact discs that protects the compact discs, is durable, and includes space for printed material in a form that is easily accessible and permanently attached to the compact disc holder.
Others have attempted to provide compact disc holders that are less expensive to manufacture and are less prone to breakage than jewel boxes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,318 discloses a compact disc folder formed from a single piece of cardstock. The cardstock is folded upon itself in tri-fold fashion to form a front and rear panel with an inside pocket for holding a compact disc. While this folder appears to be relatively inexpensive to produce, the area available for printed material is limited to the front and rear panels. U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,491 discloses a compact disc folder booklet that includes a cover, a pocket on an inside portion of the cover for holding a compact disc, and a plurality of pages for providing printed text relating to the content of the compact disc. While this folder addresses the need for providing a means for including printed material that is integral with a compact disc holder, the construction of this folder is complex, and accordingly, its production cost is unnecessarily high. For example, the cover and packet portion are formed from a single piece of material that is complex in shape and includes a series of tabs which must be punched from cardstock using expensive punches and dies. Simplifying the construction of such a folder would greatly reduce its cost of production. In addition, this folder requires a plurality of staples to connect the pages of the booklet to the cover. These staples are necessarily exposed on the outside of the folder along its spine. The exposed staples are unattractive in appearance, may snag on clothing or skin, and may rust if exposed to moisture. Therefore, a compact disc holder and booklet without staples and having a more finished appearance is needed.
Therefore, there remains a need for an inexpensive, durable, and attractive compact disc holder that includes no exposed staples and provides a means for including printed matter that is integral with the compact disc holder.
The present invention therefore is directed to a combination compact disc holder and informational booklet including a cover and a plurality of pages. The cover includes at least one pocket that is sized and shaped to receive and retain a compact disc. At least the cover and pages are constructed of rectangular sheets of paper. In addition, the pages carry printed information concerning the content of the compact disc. The cover includes a first panel having a first pocket on an inside surface of the first panel. Also, the cover may further include a second panel having a second pocket on an inside surface of the second panel.
In one embodiment, a cover has a fold which divides the cover into a first panel and a second panel. The first and second panels each include an inside surface, an outside surface, a bottom edge, a side edge, and a top edge. A pocket sheet is provided that is substantially coextensive with the first panel. The pocket sheet is attached to the inside surface of the first panel along the bottom edge, the side edge, and the top edge by a C-shaped strip of adhesive, thereby forming a pocket. The pocket is of suitable size to receive and retain a compact disc and has an opening adjacent to the fold. The unglued edge of the pocket sheet includes a cutout to facilitate insertion and removal of a compact disc from the pocket. At least one additional leaf is connected to the cover at the fold to form additional pages.
In another approach, a first leaf is attached to the cover at the fold to form a first page and a second page. The first leaf and the cover are coextensive, and the first page has an upper edge. A first adhesive strip attaches the first page to the inside surface of the first panel along the bottom edge, and a second adhesive strip attaches the first page to the inside surface of the first panel along the side edge. A pocket which is of suitable size to receive and retain a compact disc is thereby formed between the first panel and the first page. The first page may further include a cutout along its upper edge to facilitate grasping a compact disc contained in the pocket. Further, the holder and booklet may include at least one additional leaf that is attached to the cover and to the first leaf along the fold to form additional pages. Each additional leaf, the first leaf, and the cover are substantially coextensive.
In still another approach, the first leaf is again attached to the cover at the fold to form a first page and a second page, but the first page is narrower and shorter than the first panel of the cover. A flood coated adhesive covers the inside surface of the first and second panels, and seals the first page to the inside surface of the first panel and the second page to the inside surface of the second panel. Portions of the adhesive along the bottom edge and side edge of the first panel are uncovered by the smaller first page, thereby forming an L-shaped strip of adhesive on the inside surface of the first panel. A second leaf attached to the cover along the fold forms third and fourth pages. The third page is attached to the inside surface of the first panel along its bottom edge and side edge by the L-shaped strip of adhesive. A pocket is thereby formed between the first page and the third page. The pocket has an opening along its upper edge and is of suitable size to receive and retain a compact disc. A plurality of additional leaves may be attached to the cover and first and second leaves along the fold to form additional pages.
In yet another approach, the cover has an extended panel (a third panel) approximately the same size as the first panel. A second fold parallel to the first fold divides the cover between the first panel and the third panel. The first panel has an inside surface, a top edge, and a bottom edge. The first leaf has a first page that is narrower than the first panel, so that when it is secured to the inner surface of the cover, it leaves exposed a first and second adhesive strip along the top and bottom edge of the inner surface of the cover. The first adhesive strip extends along the top edge of the first panel and the second adhesive strip extends along the bottom edge of the first panel. The third panel is then attached to the inside surface of the first panel along the top and bottom edges. A pocket is thereby formed between the first panel and the third panel of the cover, wherein the pocket has a pocket opening adjacent to the second fold and the pocket is of suitable size to receive and retain a compact disc. At least one additional leaf is folded and attached to the cover along the second fold to form pages, each leaf being coextensive with the assembled cover.
In an alternate approach, the first leaf may be coextensive with the cover and a pattern of L- or C-shaped adhesive strips may be applied between the first panel and first page to form a pocket. Also, in any of the above approaches, the rear cover panel may include a second pocket for a second compact disc.
In an additional approach, the cover again includes a first cover panel and a second cover panel. The cover is attached to the first page or fly leaf of a paper booklet by a flood coating of adhesive on the inside surface of the cover. The first leaf is folded and divided into a front page and rear page. The front page is cut to expose a C-shaped strip of adhesive. The second leaf and all other leaves include a fold that divides the leaves into front and rear pages. The front page of the second leaf includes a slit or cutout that is parallel to and adjacent to the fold and is at least as wide as the diameter of a compact disc. The front page of the first leaf is attached to the top, side, and bottom edges of the inside of the first cover panel by the C-shaped strip of adhesive. The cutout in the front page of the second leaf forms an opening to a pocket formed between the front pages of the first and second leaves. A cutout is provided along the edge of the slit away from the fold to facilitate grasping a disc in the pocket. A slit may also be provided in the rear page for similarly forming a second pocket inside the second cover panel.
The holder/booklet may also include at least one leaf formed into additional pockets. The leaf is longer by fifty percent and has first and second folds which form a first page, a middle page, and a third page. The first page is folded along the first fold and is connected to the middle page by a C-shaped strip of adhesive which has been rolled, screened, or printed onto the middle page, thereby forming a pocket. A cutout along the unglued and unfolded edge of the first page facilitates grasping a disc in the pocket. One or more of these pocketed leaves can be assembled into any of the holders and booklets summarized above to provide additional pockets for holding discs.
The pocketed leaf may also be even longer and include a third fold forming a fourth page. The fourth page is folded along the third fold and is connected to the third page by a second C-shaped strip of adhesive, thereby forming a second pocket. A cutout along the unglued and unfolded edge of the fourth page facilitates grasping a disc in the second pocket. One or more of these double-pocketed leaves can be assembled into any of the holders and booklets summarized above to provide additional pockets for holding discs.
While the embodiments of the invention described above are principally constructed of paper, the invention also includes compact disc holder/booklets including one or more pocketed leaves or panels constructed of heat sealable materials. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cheat sealable materialxe2x80x9d includes materials such as vinyl, thermoplastics, synthetic papers and non-woven synthetic fabrics which are at least partly constructed of heat-sealable fibers, and the like. Such heat sealable materials may be selectively fused by locally melting the materials together. For example, one such construction for a pocketed leaf includes pockets on opposed inner faces of the leaf. In this construction, a pocket panel has a fold line which divides the panel into first and second portions with front (inner) and rear (outer) faces. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cinnerxe2x80x9d means a surface facing the interior of the CD holder/booklet, while the term xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9couterxe2x80x9d means a surface facing the outside (i.e. the cover) of the holder/booklet. A first pocket is formed on the front face of the first portion of the pocket panel by a pocket sheet thermally fused to the front face along a substantially U-shaped or C-shaped seam. Similarly, a second pocket is formed on the front face of the second portion of the pocket panel by a second pocket sheet thermally fused to the front face along a substantially U-shaped or C-shaped seam. The first and second pockets include pocket openings at the open ends of the substantially C-shaped or U-shaped seam, and are shaped to receive and support compact discs. Preferably, the pocket sheets include notches or cutouts along the pocket openings to facilitate inserting or grasping a compact disc in the pocket.
In order to facilitate production and minimize the number of separate pieces comprising the pocketed leaf, the first and second pocket sheets may be connected together to form a continuous pocket sheet. In this arrangement, the continuous pocket sheet includes a central opening which forms the pocket openings in the pockets. The pocket panel and pocket sheets may be constructed of any compatible heat-sealable materials, such as vinyl, thermoplastics, or synthetic papers. Heat sealable synthetic papers which may be used may include polyethylene or polypropylene fibers or the like. Synthetic papers are desirable because they may be thermally fused together by a low-temperature ultrasonic bonding process, and they may be printed upon using many standard printing techniques.
In order to provide a soft, cushioned surface inside the pockets for protecting the optical sides of compact discs from scratches and dust or dirt, the pocket panel may include a layer of non-woven fabric. In this arrangement, the pocket panel may include a first layer constructed of heat sealable material such as vinyl or thermoplastic, and a second layer comprised of non-woven fabric adhered to the first layer. The non-woven fabric layer forms a protective inside surface in the first and second pockets. The non-woven fabric may be constructed of polyester or any other suitable fibers which provide a soft, protective surface.
The pocketed leaf summarized above may be used to form pockets on the inside surfaces of front and rear covers of a compact disc holder and booklet. In this arrangement, the, a paper cover includes a fold which divides the cover into a first cover panel and a second cover panel. The first and second cover panels each have an inside surface and an outside surface. At least one of the pocketed leaves is folded together with a booklet of paper pages, and the leaf and pages are sewn together along a central fold line. The pages are of substantially the same size and shape as the first and second panels of the cover. Rear faces of the outermost pocketed leaf are adhered to the inside surfaces of the first and second cover panels, thereby forming pockets on inside faces of the cover panels.
Alternatively, at least one of these pocketed leaves may be assembled in a holder/booklet to form at least two pocketed pages in the booklet. In this arrangement, a paper cover includes a fold which divides the cover into a first cover panel and a second cover panel. The first and second cover panels each have an inside surface and an outside surface. A fly sheet with a back face is stacked together with at least one of the pocketed leaves and a booklet of paper leaves. The fly sheet, the at least one pocketed leaf, and the booklet of paper leaves are stitched together along a central fold line. The back face of the fly sheet is adhered to the inside surfaces of the first and second cover panels. Multiple pocketed leaves may be included in such a holder/booklet for receiving and supporting a plurality of compact discs.
In yet another approach, a pocketed leaf is provided which includes pockets on both front and rear faces of the leaf. In this construction, two composite panels are provided which have substantially the same size and shape. The composite panels each include a first face comprised of heat sealable material, and a second face comprised of non-woven fabric. The composite panels are stacked with their first faces together. The stacked panels are divided into first and second pages by a fold line and the first and second pages each include a front face and a back face. The pocketed leaf also includes a plurality of heat sealable pocket sheets. At least one pocket sheet overlies each of the faces of the first and second pages. The stacked composite panels forming the first page and the pocket sheets overlying the first page are thermally fused together along a first U-shaped or C-shaped seam. Similarly, the stacked composite panels forming the second page and the pocket sheets overlying the second page are thermally fused together along a second U-shaped or C-shaped seam. Thus, pockets are formed on both faces of the first and second pages. These pockets each include a pocket opening proximate an open end of the C-shaped or U-shaped seam, and are suitably shaped to receive and support a compact disc. Preferably, each pocket sheet includes an elongated cutout proximate the pocket opening to facilitate grasping a compact disc in the pocket. A preferred elongated cutout extends from the pocket entrance opening to a central portion of the pocket sheet, so that the central hole of a CD in the pocket is exposed for grasping. Such a cutout permits a CD to be grasped with a thumb or finger in the CD hole while the CD is inserted or removed from the pocket. One or more of the pocketed leaves may be stitched together with a fly sheet and paper leaves to form compact disc holder/booklet similar to those described above.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered with the drawings.